Transcript & Video: Bryan Brown & Russ Yeast Talk COVID-19 Pause, Preview Virginia
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After a COVID-19 outbreak forced Louisville football to take an indefinite pause last week, the program has since resumed all team activities. Now the Cardinals (2-5, 1-5 ACC) are back to concentrating on their road matchup with the Virginia Cavaliers (2-4, 2-4 ACC), which was rescheduled following Louisville's outbreak. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m. in Charlottesville, Va.
Prior to their upcoming matchup, defensive coordinator Bryan Brown & safety Russ Yeast took time to meet with the media. They discussed the pausing of team activities, previewed the upcoming game against the Cavaliers, and more.
Below is the transcript from their press conference as well as the video:
Defensive Coordinator Bryan Brown
(On what it's like to lose so many people at one time due to COVID)
Once it initially happened, it's a big shock. Nobody's ever been through anything like this in college football or the NFL, ever. So you really don't know how to actually deal with it. But the one thing we've done is just kind of go with the flow and just trying to figure it out one day at a time. Figure out who's going to be with us, getting the guys ready that are available, and then just hoping and praying that some of these guys are able to come back in from quarantine before we would play on Saturday. It's tough man, it's really tough. This COVID year is something like no other, I can tell you that right now. But we're just fighting and praying, working the guys that are available right now and trying to meet with them as much as we can with NCAA rules and things of that nature. It's tough but we're battling with it right now.
(On if the pause dampened the improving mindset of the team, and if it will be difficult to get back in the swing of things)
I think anytime that you have the success that we were having defensively for those last couple of games playing really well and practicing really well, and then, like I said last week, those guys pop positive - you got so many guys that are quarantined, you got a number of defensive starters out, a number your key backups out, that took a blow. It really did. We took a blow with that, and you can see it with our guys. But the one thing they did, they fought man. They fought really, really hard in that game. It's hard, it's really hard losing guys like that. They contribute so much to us, and then right now with this pause, I think sometimes it helps in your favor in a way to get some guys healthy that are available to play. Get some guys a little rest, because we've been going at it since late July/August. These guys' bodies get banged up a little bit, so I think those couple of days we had off, I think some of the guys came back to a little bit rejuvenated. They came back and these last couple days have been awesome practice-wise. I'm hoping and praying that it doesn't take our juice away a little bit. But I hope that the guys continue to just fight and have that next-man-up mentality. We still have a lot of guys out, so we'll stick to what we know and that's playing hard and seeing what happens.
(On if it's hard to scheme not knowing who will be available)
Absolutely. It's like you're shuffling a deck of cards with some of the guys that you're playing, and may be here or may not be here. I think that's the toughest thing. It's taxing as well to be honest, and it's taxing on these kids. You get frustrated at times with what's going on with COVID. You teach one guy and he's ready and he's rolling, next thing you know, boom, he's out. Now you got to continue to teach the rest of the guys. That's I think developing young players is really really key no matter what the season is. You have to continue to teach these guys, and they have to stay engaged. This year is like no other, where guys can play all throughout the year. It doesn't matter if you redshirt or not. You'll be a freshman again next year. You have to develop young guys. It's a tough, tough task for a coach, but I think it's really tough on these kids not knowing if we're gonna play or if we're not gonna play. If they tested positive, if they're quarantining, if they're contact traced. It's really, really taxing for all of us. But we're working through it in, and we're just fighting. We're just fighting.
(On if you talk to other programs about their experiences withe the virus)
Some of my mentors, and people that I know across college football, the dynamics of their football team is a little bit different than ours from a standpoint of roster-wise as far as depth and things of that nature. So it's a little bit different for some guys. Some guys are able to cross train receivers to play DB, some guys are able to cross train offensive line to play D-line. Unfortunately, we just don't have the luxury right now. But I think in the near future, if this continues, I think we will depth-wise. We can get some running backs to possibly play linebacker or something like, that you just never know. But yes I have, and some guys do that. They cross train some of their guys. Some guys, as far as practice wise, they meet and do some walkthroughs with some other guys that could possibly play D-line or linebackers and things of that nature. We've done a little bit of that, use some other guys on our team a little bit, but not to the state like some other people are able to do that. So yes, we have reached out to other people.
(On what stands out on the film)
I think what they did in that North Carolina game, and even some this year with some of the games they lost, they executed really well. They execute to a tee. The quarterback was on. They got into a lot of third & mediums and third & shorts, and were able to convert some fourth downs. They just made plays. That's one thing you saw on film on the North Carolina game. They executed, they made plays, and they didn't turn the ball over. That's one thing that any offense wants: don't turn the football over and be able to sustain drives. It gives you a chance to win a football game and that's what those guys did there. They're a good football team, especially up front. They got some outside receivers back, I think quarterbacks back - he's healthy. They pose a big threat as far as running the football with the quarterback, and even when they put Thompson back there - doing the same thing with him. You can't go to sleep. You can't just load the box up when Thompson's in the game, because he's a former SEC quarterback, he can throw the football as well. They pose a lot of different dynamics, a lot of different formations to get you thinking, to try to get you out of your gaps and things of that nature and turn somebody loose, and they hit a big one on you. We just got to stay disciplined with great eye control, tackle well, keep the quarterback in front of us, as well as keep the guys in front of us and not behind us in the secondary. I think we'll have a good day on Saturday.
(On if the extra time allows you to tinker with the game plan)
It does. It gives you a little bit more time, especially with a group like Virginia. They do so much offensively. There's so many different formations, and so many different I-formations as well. It gives your guys a little bit more time to get acclimated and get lined up to it, as opposed to one week you play those guys. It's a little bit different. And we know they will come out with some different formations that we haven't seen already, and we have to adjust to those on the sidelines as well. But it does, it does help you a little bit where you can tweak a thing or two here that you thought you were going to be able to do last week, but now you have a little bit more time you're like, 'No, we can't do it that way, we have to play it this way.' So, it does help a little bit, but sometimes you try to put in a little bit more and that ain't always the best thing. I'm glad we're not doing that right now.
(On what LB Robert Hicks has done to get back on the field)
I think what he's done is gotten in his playbook really, really hard. Sometimes, some kids think they know exactly what's going on. But when the bullets get to flying, sometimes it goes a little too fast. I think now the game has slowed down for Rob a lot, and that's why you see him on the football field because he's executed on the practice field. Now that's allowing him to play on Saturdays, because the game is slowing down for him. He's doing a great job for us there. He has a lot of energy, and that's what we want: a lot of energy, execute the game plan, and being a great teammate. That's one thing Rob is doing it, and we're excited to have him to being in the position he's in right now to help us.
Safety Russ Yeast
(On if it was difficult to stay focused during the pause, and if it was difficult to pick up where they left off)
It's not really difficult, it's our job to stay locked in. So, we just have to be leaders and do the best that we can to stay focused on the game that we have coming up. Continue to watch film and do all the things that we don't have to do at the facility during the pause.
(On what he's telling guys to keep them focused even with a potentially short roster)
It's just a story of the year, 2020. We knew coming into the season that this was a possibility. We just have to stay strong and be ready to go, and everybody has to prepare like they're starting, prepare like they're gonna play because you don't know when it's gonna be your time up and you're going to be playing.
(On what the energy level has been like)
I feel like the energy level as a team has been pretty high. We're all just happy with the opportunity go out there and play like we're scheduled to. We were down because our last game got postponed, but as far as practice, everybody was happy to be up here. Everyone's happy be in the facility and get some work in.
(On if they feel that their confidence is still rolling)
Yeah, we definitely still have that confidence. It was a bump in the road, but it's our job this week to get back on track and go out there and play defense like we want to. We want to show everybody that we can play.
(On how difficult it is to be cross trained in the middle of a season)
It's very difficult, because people grow and change just almost overnight. We saw that happen, especially on the younger guys who are still trying to pick up the playbook in their primary spot. It's definitely a tough task, but I guess it just puts more on the plate of the older guys to know more and learn more positions and basically just cross train if need be.
(On if it still feels like a regular week)
It still feels like a regular game week. I'd say last week didn't feel like a bye week. I think that was the main difference, but so far this week everything is normal. We're ready to go play Saturday like it's a regular game.
(Photo of Rodjay Burns: Atlantic Coast Conference Pool)
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